Safety-razor.



J. E. KNAPP.

SAFETY RAZOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13, 1910.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914.

WITNESS E5 JOHN EVERETT KNAPP, F BEIMON'T, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY-RAZOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A r. 7, 1914.

' Application filed April 13, 1910. Serial No. 555,202.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EVERETT KNAPP, of Belmont, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Razors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety razors and has for its object to provide various improvements in razors of this" character by which better results in shaving may be obtained, such as a better and cleaner cut and increased ease in handling the razor. These objects and, others to be obtained by my improved razors are set forth in the following specification and claims, while the preferred construction by which my invention is carried into effect is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents an elevation of the razor. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation show-.

ing the handle portion in section. Fig. 4 represents a cross-section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation as seen from the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in the same direction. Fig. 6 is a detailed view showin the longitudinal section of-the razor-ho der without the blade. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on line Z7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of one of the blades employed with my improved razor.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The razor consists of two principal members, to Wit, a blade-holder and handle. The blade-holder is designed to carry two blades, and is so constructed that the cutting edgesof the two blades are very close to each other, instead of being widely separated. In order that both edges may be used to advantage, the blade-holder is so constructed that the blades make a dihedral angle with each other their cutting edges,

. however, being paralle The holder consists of end members 1 and 2 and side members 3 and 4, each of which is generally triangular in form. The end member 1 is shown in elevation in Fig. 5 and the end member 2 is similarly shown in Fig. 4. The sides 3 and 4 meet the end memher 1 at the edges 5 and 6 thereof, and extend thence to the end member 2, with the corresponding edges of which they are connected. Thus the sides 3 and 4 occupy planes which make an angle with each other. Conveniently the end member 1 and sides 3 and 4 are made from a single blank of sheet metal, bent at right angles with edges 5 and 6, the ends of these side members being then connected in any suitable way with the end member 2. This mode of construction, however, is not obligatory, and in some cases the holder may be made from a single piece of material bent into roper shape.

The two blades wit which the razor is provided are detachably mounted upon the side members 3 and 4, oneblade being laid flat against each of such side members. These blades are shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and are designated by the numerals 7 and 8. They are secured to the holders by clasps 9 and 10 respectively, which are pivoted to the ears on the side members at 11 and 12, so as to swing into engagement with these members or away therefrom, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. These clasps are preferably made of sheet stock folded double, whereby they have a U-shape in cross-section, and their sides are separated sufiicient to enable them to slip over and embrace the side member of the frame and blade, as appears from Fig.4. By virtue of the fact that the blades are held flat against the sides of the holder, they occupy an angular relation to each other, the Planes in which they lie being convergent. Their adjacent edges, however, which are sharpened to form cutting edges, are parallel and. are arranged comparatively close together.

In the angle between the blades and near the cutting edges thereof is a roller bearing, which is adapted to roll over the face of the user, and at the same time constitutes a guard. This roller bearing consists of a series of perforated balls 13 strung upon a rod or pintle 14, which passes between the end members of the holder and is sured at its ends therein. The location of the spindle 14 of the bearing and the sides of the rollers thereof are such that the latter come nearly tangent to the edges of the blades,

and project a sufficient distance between these edges to make contact with the face of the user and prevent cutting of the skin by the blades.

The blades are retained in the holder not only by the clasps 9 and 10, but also are accuratel 'located by stops or, abutments forme respectively on the holder and blades Y which cooperate with one another. These stops may be projections, pins, lugs or equivalent elements of any suitable sort, fixed upon either the holder or blades, and engaging complemental apertures or recesses. In the form of this device which I prefer to use, the stops are provided on the holder at the ends of the blades, and engage notches in the latter. The stops are preferably tongues 15 and 16, partially cut out from the end members 1 and 2 respectively, and bent over flat against the ends of the side members. The corresponding complemental notches l7 and 18 in the ends of. the blades are placed over the stops, and when so placed the blades are located with their edges projecting relatively to the sides of the holder and the roller bearing by exactly the right amount. This form of cooperating locating abutments for the blades is the one which I consider to be the least expensive to construct, since the stops or tongues can be simply cut from the material of the holder by dies and bent over, and the notches can be formed in the ends of alarge number of blades at once by a suitable grinder, on account of which I prefer to use it in preference to other more expensive means having equivalent functions.

The blade-holder is attached to the handle by a ball and socket joint, which permits it to be located at any angle. For this purpose the handle is provided with spring chuck jaws 19 whichgrip a ball 20 secured to one end of the holder. A sleeve 21 forms the gripping portion of the handle and has a flaring end 22 adapted to slide on'the exterior of the chuck and force the jaws together so as to grip the ball. A spindle 23,

secured to the chuck, passes through the sleeve and upon its end there is threaded a nut 24', by which the sleeve may be forced longitudinally to crowd the chuck jaws into gripping engagement, and conversely to release the jaws. A detail of construction which I consider of importance is that the abutting ends of the sleeve and nut are beveled so that they make engagement with each other over a narrow line at 25, this con-- struction being employed to reduce the frictional resistance to turning .of the nut, whereby the force used in screwing up the nut may be more effectively applied in tightening the ballj'and socket joint, whereby a tighter engagement than could otherwise be possible is secured.

Between two of the chuck jaws there is a space 26 wide enough to admit the neck 27 which connects the ball 20 with the holder. By swinging the neck into this recess the blade-holder may be placed at. any angle desired with respect to the handle.

Mention has already been made of the fact that the sides of the blade-holder are tapered, being of less width at the tip of the holder than at the base thereof. The blades 9 and 10. are also correspondingly tapered, as appears from Fig. 8. In this figure 28 represents the cutting edge of the blade and 29 the back edge thereof. -This back edge lies beside the tapered edge of the side member of the holder against which the blade is placed, and is embraced by the clip. This tapered construction of the blade and its holder is also of importance, in that it enables the operation of shaving to be accomplished more easily, since the narrow end can be brought into the angle between the upper lip and nose of the user more easily.

than the wider blades of other razors, and in addition it is easier for the user to see what he is about, there being less stock in the way to obscure his view.

Many advantages result from the construction of the holder by virtue of which the blades are at an angle with each other. Among others may be mentionedthat this enables each blade to be used effectively while the blade temporarily not in use is swung up out of the way where it does not rub against the face. At the same time a slight twist of the handle is sufficient to bring the other blade into position forv use.

This form of holder, including as it does sides making an angle with each other, and end' pieces closing the space between the ends of the side members, makes a receptacle for the lather. The roller bearing consisting of a number of independent balls, enables the razor to slide more easily along the face than razors which are unprovided with such bearings, while only those balls actually in contact with the face at any one time are caused to roll, and they do not scrape off and remove the lather from the face, as 1s done by the fixed guards of the ordinary type, of safety razor, or would be done by a solid rolling bar. Also the ball and socket connection between the blade-holder or head of the razor and the handle, enables the blades to be placed at any angle most convenient for use in acting upon any part of the face, while it is possible, and this perhaps is the most important advantage of all, to extend the cutting edges of the blades practically in line with the handle, or at least parallel thereto, whereby it is possible to move the blade diagonally across the face to obtain a drawing cut on the hair without the same danger of cutting the skin which is present in the case of those safety razors on which the blades are held with their cutting edges at right angles to the'handles.

Owing to the fact that the handle is connected to the larger end member 1 of the blade-holder, a slight rotation of saidhandle, when the parts are in the relative positions indicated'in Figs 1 and'2, will bring either blade to position for use, according to parted to the razor. Moreover this mounting or connection of the handle with the holder results in enabling the razor to be employed without the hand of the user ever being interposed or in such position as to obstruct the view of the user by reflection in a mirror. In other words, the hand and the handle are at one side of the blade-holder and never directly in front thereof.

The complemental engaging members of the holder and blades, in connection with the shape of the holder and blades, render it impossible that the blades can ever be fitted improperly in position. In other words, this feature of the construction is such as to prevent incorrect assembling, as will be readily understood by comparing Fig. 8 with Figs. 1 and 2.

I claim,

1. In a safety razor, a blade-holder comprising two substantially triangular end members, one of which is larger than the other, two tapering side members connecting .the end members, means for securing tapering blades against said side members, and a handle connected to the larger end member of the holder.

2. A safety razor, comprising a bladeholder, having two substantially triangular en'd members, one of which is larger than the other, two tapering side members connecting the end members, tapering blades adapted to be secured against said side members, said blades and side members having complemental engaging devices located to prevent incorrect assembling, and a handle connected to the larger end member of the holder.

3. A safety razor, comprising a bladeholder, having two substantially triangular end members, one of which is larger than the other, two tapering side members connecting the end members, tapering blades adapted to be secured against said side memthe end members, tapering blades adapted to be secured against said side members, said blades and .side members having complemental engaging devices located to prevent incorrect assembling, clasps pivoted at one end adjacent the larger end members of the holder and embracing the longitudinal edges of the blades, said clasps being U-shaped in cross-section and having their sides separated to engage both the side members of the frame and the blades, and a handle connected to the larger end member of the holder.

5. In a safety razor, a holder comprising substantially parallel sheet metal end ,mem-.

bers and side members extending from one end member to the other and lying in intersecting planes, said end members havmg tongues cut from them close to the ends of the side members and lying against such side members, blades adapted to be placed beside the side members of the holder and having notches in their ends to receive the tongues, whereby the blades are properly positioned. In testimony: whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN EVERETT KNAPP.

Witnesses P. W. PEzzE-TTI, ARTHUR H. BROWN. 

